Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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OK, I could talk about how I predicted the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, but so did millions of other people.
Instead, I was delighted to see images for Her Majesty the Queen opening the new rail line through London, named The Elizabeth Line in her honour.
There was a lovely moment as she was given advice on using an Oyster Card. Presumably since it's her line, she doesn't need one, but it was great to see pictures of her looking so well, with her Platinum Jubilee celebrations only a couple of weeks away.
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I was sorry to hear of the death of the Greek composer Vangelis, who provided some wonderful orchestral music.
He won an Oscar for the stirring score to 1981's Chariots of Fire, which was followed by Blade Runner a year later.
Those shots of the runners on St Andrew's Beach with his haunting music over the top were wonderful - and of course Rowan Atkinson as Me Bean helped to perform the same work at the 2012 Olympics.
Vangelis first tasted fame as the keyboardist in the band Aphrodite's Child with singer Demis Roussos in the late 1960s.
What a talent. And of course, I won't miss the opportunity to show that video! |
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 | My guest this week is songwriting legend Dean Friedman, who I spoke to last year, and managed to grab a chat with again during his UK tour.
He first marked his entry into pop consciousness with the Top 20 chart success of his infectious hit single, Ariel, a quirky, irresistible and uncategorisable pop song about a free spirited, pot-smoking, vegetarian Jewish girl in a peasant blouse who lived, as the lyric goes, "...way on the other side of the Hudson".
Since then he's written and recorded a string of great songs, including a UK number one "Lucky Stars" .
We spoke about US politics, touring and his link with Half Man, Half Biscuit!
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Of course, there's a great song from Dean Friedman too, |
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MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestro is Sam Ryder.
As you may have seen, against all previous odds, he gained second place for the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest, being beaten only by the inevitable winners Ukraine, on a wave of public emotion.
Sam charmed everyone at Eurovision and elsewhere with his enthusiasm, praise for others and all-round good nature.
"The song was written a year and a half ago with no intention of Eurovision in our minds," says Sam. "It was a gorgeous, boiling hot day in London, so naturally, we were in a studio with no windows and Space Man just seemed to come out of space… man."
I hope very much that this proves to be a springboard for his career - he thoroughly deserves it. He's already been booked for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee concert. |
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The MediaMug is Tory MP Michael Fabricant.
He posted a tweet suggesting that Prime Minister's Question time was a good time to appear in the Commons so that it would be clear who wasn't the MP who has been arrested on suspicion of sexual offences.
It was an incredibly crass thing to post, and he deleted it soon after, but not before many people had taken screenshots.
A source in the Tory whips office also called the post inappropriate and said the whips had spoken to Mr Fabricant about it.. I'm sure they did.
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Speaking Tip of the week - Failsafe facilitation |
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Being a facilitator or moderator at an event is a skill that it's well worth cultivating. For one thing, it puts you in the spotlight, without putting you on the spot, since you don't have to make your personal views known. For another, it gives you the opportunity to be helpful to everyone else, while making them feel good.
Here are my top tips for being an effective facilitator:
- Keep calm at all times. The more heated a discussion becomes, the more relaxed and soothing you should be.
- Set the tone early. Arrive first, and welcome each person. Explain at the start how the event will be conducted.
- If it is a small gathering, welcome latecomers personally. "Thank you for coming - please take a seat"
- Speak only when you have to. Allow others to express their views, and link the speakers together.
- Allow plenty of time for questions and debate. Everyone must feel that they have been heard.
- Encourage speakers to be brief and relevant.
- Try not to cut off debate, but summarise when the discussion comes to a natural end.
- Most importantly, listen.
As a facilitator, you're the conductor of the orchestra, not the soloist. Stay calm and smile.
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Media Tip of the week - News and not news |
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Some people become very upset when they spend a lot of time, effort and money on media releases that receive no coverage at all. Sometimes it's due to circumstances, since when a major news story breaks, everything else is discarded in favour of saturation coverage. However, much more often, it's because the media release isn't newsworthy.
Here's some examples of not-news:
- A slight revision to a product or service
- Middle management personnel changes
- Something already reported elsewhere
- Something with no relevance to the readers or viewers
- The launch of a new small company in an existing sector
- An unremarkable annual report
- A new branch office opening
Here are some examples of real news:
- A report that goes against conventional wisdom
- A strong local angle (for local press, obviously)
- Something that links to a major news story
- The first
- The last
- The largest
- An endorsement from a celebrity
- A great photo opportunity
- A calamity (and how you dealt with it)
Next time you send out a media release, consider whether the content is news or not-news. |
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Social Media Tip of the week - Challenge but justify |
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If you are looking to build a following on social media, being controversial is a good tactic. However, there is no benefit in just saying "that's wrong". You need to support your stance, using either your own experience or third-party evidence, or preferably both.
If you have a strong view on an issue, especially if it runs contrary to popular wisdom, write a blog about it. Whenever you engage in debate about it, you can refer people back to your blog for more information. Within the blog, you can place links to supporting evidence. If you allow comments on your blog (beware of spam), then it can also become a hub of debate. Some experts, such as Olivia Mitchell have found that a single blog post is now referenced throughout the web
When you indulge in debate about a controversial topic (or a topic in which you are creating controversy), the normal rules of politeness apply. Argue with the position taken, not the person taking the position. Never use swear words. Thank other debaters for their comments. Make your points clearly and concisely, and never, ever show anger.
If you become known as someone who has an alternative view that you can back up with evidence, people will listen to you, even if they don't agree. The key is to challenge a view, and justify your position. |
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Even if you're not planning to be on the next Eurovision song contest, you may still need some Media Coaching |
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The information in this ezine may be freely re-used in any online or offline publication, provided it is accompanied by the following credit line - "This information was written by Alan Stevens, and originally appeared in "The MediaCoach", his free weekly ezine, available at www.mediacoach.co.uk." https://em-ui.constantcontact.com/em-ui/em/page/em-ui/email# |
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